


Mission: Pajamas

by Trying_for_Sunshine



Series: Firelord Zuko's Unfortunate Misadventures [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Nation culture, Gen, Palace Staff is Not Ready for Fire Lord Zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 07:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trying_for_Sunshine/pseuds/Trying_for_Sunshine
Summary: Fire Lord Zuko will get his pajamas back, if it’s the last thing Sai Lee does (because the Fire Lord thinks she is loyal, and dedicated, and worthy and by Agni, she is going to prove it).Companion to The One About the Pajamas (and Honor)





	Mission: Pajamas

Sai Lee is on a mission. She failed her Fire Lord once, and she will not do it again. If he wants to wear rags to bed, then Sai Lee will find and retrieve said rags — no, pajamas — that she, maybe, accidentally, told the cleaning staff to get rid of because well, really, they did look like rags.

Sai Lee knew exactly where she needed to go first. Anyone in her way better get out now. Luckily for everyone else, she got to the cleaners’ room unimpeded. She walked into the bustling room, grabbing the first person she saw to ask for directions to the head cleaner. After being pointed in the right direction, Sai Lee marched up to the head cleaner.

“Excuse me, who might I speak to about the cleanliness of the Fire Lord’s Suite?”

The head cleaner looked at Sai Lee, a frown on her face, “I take full responsibility for the cleanliness of the Fire Lord’s Suite. What was wrong with the cleanliness?”

Sai Lee smiled back, “Oh, nothing is wrong, but yesterday, during the rush to clear and set the suite for our new Fire Lord Zuko, some fabric of personal value to the Fire Lord was cleared by mistake. I was hoping to see if it might still be with whoever cleared the suite yesterday.”

The head cleaner’s eyes widened, “By Agni, ‘nothing is wrong,’ come with me. Smiling at a time like this. I take full responsibility for this and take whatever punishment the Fire Lord sees fit.”

As Sai Lee hurried along after the head cleaner, she spoke up, “Oh, no. Fire Lord Zuko doesn’t want to punish anyone. He just asked to see if I could find the fabric, but he said it was of no concern if I couldn’t.”

The head cleaner snorted, “How long have you been at the palace, child? If you come back without that fabric. Well, it’d be best if I go with you in that case, so the Fire Lord knows you aren’t to blame and hopefully he won’t punish you.”

“I’ve been at the palace long enough.” In a secondary scullery, but the head cleaner doesn’t need to know that. “And I really think that Fire Lord Zuko won’t punish anyone; he seems very nice.”

The head cleaner shook her head, slowed down, and dropped her voice to a whisper, “Girl, this court is a hyena-vulture’s den; nobility might smile at you, put on a pretty face, but they’ll just as soon pick your bones clean for their own satisfaction.”

Sai Lee frowned and shrugged; the head cleaner probably hasn’t talked to Fire Lord Zuko yet. If she had, she would have seen, felt, the difference between Fire Lord Zuko and other’s in the court. Sai Lee knew nobles weren’t to be messed with, but Fire Lord Zuko was different. Sai Lee knew it down to her chi.

The head cleaner burst through a door leading to the tailors, “Chithu! Where are the fabrics that were sent from the Fire Lord’s Suite cleaning yesterday?”

A heavy-set man with a full beard poked his head up from a pile of fabric, “Eh? From the Fire Lord’s Suite yesterday? Should all still be waiting to be sorted to be reused. It’s that bin there. Anything else?”

The head cleaner flapped her hand in dismissal at Chithu, who once again disappeared under a pile of fabric, and walked to the bin he had pointed at.

Hands on her hips, the head cleaner looked at Sai Lee and said, “Well, what does the fabric look like?”

Sai Lee walked over, starting to rummage, “Red.”

The head cleaner rolled her eyes, “that’ll be most of this.”

Sai Lee clarified, “Faded red, and it’ll look like rags.”

“What does the Fire Lord want with rags?”

Sai Lee paused, “They have sentimental value to him.” A little white lie, and probably not really a lie Sai Lee justified to herself. And just because the Fire Lord wants to wear rags to bed, rags Sai Lee Will Find, doesn’t mean everyone has to know the Fire Lord wears them to bed. Sai Lee will make sure he gets his comfy pajamas and ensure his reputation remains dignified — she is loyal like that, just like the Fire Lord said.

“Aha!” Sai Lee exclaimed, carefully removing the tattered pajamas from the fabric bin.

“Thank Agni for small mercies,” the head cleaner arched an eyebrow at Sai Lee, “if that will be all, I have cleaning to get back to.”

Sai Lee bowed, a large grin on her face, “Yes, thank you … Oh, I forgot to ask your name?”

“Lelai”

“Yes, thank you Mistress Lelai.” With that, Sai Lee bounced out of the room, clutching the pajamas, a satisfied grin on her face.


End file.
